Volvo says the S60 is its first sports sedan, but it may also be the last Volvo conceived in Sweden. Ford bought Volvo's car business in 1999 for $6.45 billion—not a bad deal considering Ford has spent nearly half that on the Firestone tire recall—and is moving the Swedish automaker's headquarters to Irvine, California, where it will become a part of Ford's Premier Automotive Group.

Does this mean Volvo will lose its stoic Swedish soul? Is this the end of Volvos as we know them—cars as square, solid, and austere as those big stone Lutheran churches one finds in every Swedish village? Sure it does. But don't blame it on Ford. Volvo has been trying for a decade to shed some of the weight of its past and broaden its appeal beyond the Earth First crowd.

To that end, the S60—which Volvo introduced for 2001—breaks with the company's styling conventions. But for its trademark diagonal grille bar, it could be, well, anything. It's not unattractive, with the slope-nose, short-deck, tail-up look that defines the European sports sedan, but neither is it memorable. The taillights are its only adventurous styling departure, and they're more eccentric than characteristically Volvo.

The S60's underlying architecture is the same stiff platform that forms the basis for the S80 sedan and V70 wagon. This is probably the last all-Swedish Volvo car platform; future Volvos will no doubt be sharing parts and pieces with Jaguars, Lincolns, and whatnot from Ford. This platform was designed to challenge the BMW 3-series, the Audi A4, and the Mercedes-Benz C-class. But, although it's within inches and pounds of the Germans' size and heft, it falls short in the drive department.

With front-wheel drive, the S60 can't really run in the same pack as its continental competition. Even though Volvo offers the S60 with a choice of engines—a 168-hp, 2.4-liter in-line five, a turbo version of the 2.4-liter making 197 hp, and a 2.3-liter high-pressure turbo making a prodigious 247 hp—that should give it performance parity, they're not enough. With front-wheel drive and its attendant nose heaviness, the Volvo will be quickly reeled in and eaten up once the road changes from straight to twisty.

This disparity is addressed by the all-wheel-drive version of the S60, the major update to this car for the 2002 model year. It's a tidy package developed by Haldex, a Swedish auto-industry supplier. The system is completely invisible to the driver and uses electronic controls and a viscous coupling to apportion torque fore and aft as needed. Under normal circumstances, the front wheels get 95 percent of the power. When the front wheels slip, the system automatically adjusts the split up to 50/50. Traction and stability control are part of the deal, which costs just $1750 and also includes 16-inch alloy wheels. Not a bad price considering some upscale audio options cost as much or more. The tab for an S60 AWD is right around $36,500.

Unfortunately, the AWD package is available only with the 197-hp engine, which doesn't pump up enough power to muscle the car into sports-sedan territory. Performance certainly feels sufficient; it's just that that extra blast is missing. A similar quantum of difference is also apparent in the car's ride and handling, which lack the firmness and precision one expects in a true sports sedan.

We wouldn't bring these quibbles up if Volvo didn't make sports-sedan pretensions for the S60. Considered as a mid-luxury model, it has few shortcomings. Other than a tight back seat, it's well made and well finished, with all the interior comforts one expects in this class. It's responsive, easy to drive, and attractive in its own way. It's just not German.

Perhaps that's why Volvo is hedging its bets. One part of its past it's not forgetting is the company's well-earned reputation for building safe cars. The S60 is loaded with standard safety equipment, including whiplash-protection seats, side-impact airbags, and even head airbags front and rear. For active safety, Volvo offers standard anti-lock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution and the aforementioned traction- and stability-control systems. And as far as the all-wheel drive is concerned, Volvo stresses the system is designed to provide "security, safety, and peace of mind" rather than off-road prowess.

That sort of prudence seems Swedish. Perhaps if Ford doesn't mess with it too much, the new Volvo will become a worthy successor to the old one. At least its name won't change. Volvo, after all, isn't a Swedish word. It means "I roll" in Latin.

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